


Epic

by theleaveswant



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-14
Updated: 2011-02-14
Packaged: 2017-10-20 09:03:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/211053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theleaveswant/pseuds/theleaveswant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur has a problem with a word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Epic

**Author's Note:**

> Written for bellonablack for stainofmylove's [Valentine's Day--eh, the holiday's just an excuse](http://stainofmylove.livejournal.com/100903.html) exchange.

“Well, it's an epic story,” Ariadne says, and Arthur groans. Ariadne and Yusuf both turn their heads to look at him. “Excuse me?”

Arthur raises his eyebrows innocently.

“You sounded like a yeti.”

“It's nothing,” he says, then when they turn back around to facing each other, “it's just that _word_.”

“What word?”

“'Epic'. It drives me absolutely batty the way people misuse it these days. It was cute at first, if a little asinine, but it has Gone. Too. Far. The word 'epic' does not mean 'cool' or 'popular'; it means 'of heroic, or at least impressive, scope or scale'.”

Arthur sets his notebook in his lap so that he can count off on his fingers. “Things that may be accurately described as epic: long narrative poems originating in oral folk traditions and events worthy of their content; very big things like mountain ranges and solar systems; and ambitious journeys such as those regularly undertaken by sea turtles and other migratory creatures.” He switches hands. “Things that are not and will never be epic, no matter how much twits in marketing departments try to tell us otherwise: sandwiches; small strokes of good luck; Michael Cera. Now, I'm sorry, I recognize than it's a generational-stroke-subcultural thing and language changes and I do try to be descriptivist when it comes to new trends, but this . . . is . . . just . . .” Arthur grinds to a halt when he notices that his audience is smirking. “What is it?”

“Actually, we were talking about _The Odyssey_ ,” Ariadne says. “The difficulties of adapting it for the contemporary stage, given the different expectations of Homer's listeners compared to today's Western theatre-goers?”

“Oh,” Arthur says, and blushes.

Ariadne tips her head to one side. “You know you're kind of cute when you're embarrassed?”

“So I've been told,” Arthur says and blushes some more, and Ariadne turns back to Yusuf.

“Anyway, as I was saying . . .”


End file.
